Pages

Friday, November 11, 2011

John Shepherd Coleman...Day 5, a Week of Veteran Salutes

John Shepherd Coleman served as a private in Company D, 23rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. According to records in the Indiana State Archives he enrolled on July 12 1861 at New Albany, Indiana and was mustered on 29 July 1861 at the same location. John Shepherd was mustered out on 23 July 1865 at Louisville, Kentucky. He married Margaret Jane Sharp(e) on 7 Feb 1852 in Harrison County, Indiana when he was 22 years old and he was thirty one when he enrolled in the Union army.

John's trade was that of a blacksmith as was his father and his son after him. I have often wondered if he might have served as a unit farrier during the time of his service although that is not known at this time. The 23rd infantry was involved in many actions of the war which included the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee; the advance on and siege of Corinth, Mississippi; the assaults on and surrender of Vicksburg; the siege on Atlanta and they were also involved in the surrender of Gen. Joseph Johnston and his army just to name a few. Over all the 23rd Regiment was a busy unit and involved in many actions against their enemy during the war. They are known to have participated in the Grand Review of the victorious armies in Washington, D.C. on May 23-24 of 1865 shortly before they were mustered out in Kentucky.

John Shepherd Coleman 1830-1912

John returned to Indiana where he spent the remainder of his life after the Civil War. He died on 20 August 1912 in Jennings Twp., Crawford County, Indiana where Margaret and he are buried in the Dillman Ridge Cemetery of that county.

Gravestone of John Shepherd Coleman

His gravestone says "THE MORNING COMETH" and I hope that someday when it comes again, we can meet as great great Grandfather and Granddaughter so that I might pay true honor to him for his service.

3 comments:

John endured great hardships in his young life. His parents died and as a young boy he went to live with relatives at what is now Doe Run Inn. He lived in a little log cabin near the inn in less than desirable conditions. Two of his children lived to be over 100 years of age, as did his wife. I was fortunate enough to have met his daughter Nettie in person at age 101 and visited on the phone with his son Frank at age 100.

I was glad to find your information on John Shepherd Coleman and Margaret Jane Sharp(e). He may be the great-great-grandfather of my brother-in-law for whom I'm researching.

Let me start at the beginning. Ron's grandmother is Hattie E. Coleman whose parents, according to her marriage record, are William C. Coleman and Anna Loudon. I find plenty of documentation for Anna--even a second marriage after William's death. What I haven't been able to find are any primary sources for birth, marriage or death for William. John & Margaret's son is the most likely candidate as Hattie's father, but because I haven't found the documentation to prove it, I hesitate to connect them.